1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network administration and optimization, more particularly the present invention relates to a network analyses tool for minimizing network downtime and maximizing network operation and efficiencies.
2. Background Information
A LAN, or “local area network”, is a computer network generally spanning a relatively small area, such as in an office or a home and are capable of transmitting data at very fast rates. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings. However, one LAN can be connected to other LANs over distances via telephone lines and radio waves, forming a wide area network or WAN. Most LANs connect end user devices such as workstations and personal computers, known as nodes of a network. Each node (e.g. individual end user device) in a LAN has its own CPU with which it executes programs, but it also is able to access data and devices anywhere on the LAN. This means that many users can share devices, such as printers, as well as data. Users can also use the LAN to communicate with each other, by sending e-mail, or chat sessions or the like. Access to the network is of critical importance to the users.
There are many different types of LANS. LANS can be differentiated by topology, which is the geometric arrangement of devices on the network, such as a ring arrangement or in a straight line arrangement; protocols which are the rules and encoding specifications for sending data; and connection media such as twisted pair wire, coaxial cables, fiber optic or wireless. The wireless LANs are also referred to as WLANs with Wi-Fi being the dominant WLAN standard.
The integrity and performance of a computer network, a LAN or WLAN or other network, is critical. There are demands for essentially 100% “uptime” of a network for the users to provide services to customers, partners, vendors, and employees. The term “uptime” references the period in which access to a network, and the components thereof, are available. The term “downtime”, also called a network outage, reference the time when a network is inaccessible to users. Although the elimination of all network outages is never a guarantee, managing the network infrastructure can assist in minimizing such outages and maximizing uptime.
Various networks are known to have numerous infrastructure inefficiencies, such as in large campus environments, data centers, and remote site location networks. A variety of tools have been created for analyzing and managing network infrastructures. For example, log files from hosts, application logs, intrusion detection systems (IDSs), and network devices are sources of information on network traffic patterns. However, logging mechanisms need to be enabled and properly configured. Log files can be destroyed or altered if a system becomes compromised, and uncertainty about the integrity of system log files rises when out-of-band logging is not performed. In summary, the existing analysis and management tools provide adequate review and analysis to specific areas addressed by the specific tool. However it is left to the network administrator to select the combination of specific tools needed and to combine the results of such tools to properly manage the network. There is a need in the industry to provide network administrators with a single analysis unit for providing comprehensive diagnoses of network problems, measurement of network performance, and monitoring network status.